Jay Jay and Jensen are ‘the strongest couple’ on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ based on this African jazz routine [WATCH]

What a difference a week makes! During the first “So You Think You Can Dance” live show of season 15 judge Nigel Lythgoe complained about the overt sexuality of one of Jay Jay Dixonbey and Jensen Arnold‘s routines. But in the second live show he had a change of heart, calling them the “strongest dance couple” on the entire show this season. That high praise came after an African jazz routine choreographed by Sean Cheesman that featured some of the night’s most difficult and innovative moves. It was Mary Murphy‘s favorite performance of the night too.

Did you agree? Watch their performance above, and read what the judges had to say about it below.

Nigel Lythgoe: “I know we’ve said that everybody is out of their style today, but that’s nobody’s style. There were things in there, movements there that you will never, ever do again in your entire lives. I loved that sort of spider-walk across the stage, so weird — Sean Cheesman, honest to God, I don’t know what’s in your head. There were so many styles I wonder if Nakul spotted Bollywood in the middle of it because there’s a bit of everything in there. You are, without question for me, the strongest dance couple on the show this year.”

Vanessa Hudgens: “I have to agree with Nigel. You guys, that was just dumbfounding. You brought a whole new side of yourselves, an animalistic side that I haven’t seen before. I don’t think anyone else could do that, and you guys did that and just did it with such ease and power. It was astonishing, great work.”

Twitch: “I’ve got one word for this routine: levels. Everybody watching the routine at home right now, stand up off the couch, go down to a crouching position. Now stand back up — how long did it take you? Now re-watch the routine and see how many times they were down and up and down and up, and did it with so much grace and so much energy. I’m proud of y’all, that was amazing.”

Mary Murphy: “I have to say I was a liar. I said that your first number was the best performance of the night, but that number was definitely the best number of the night. The attack was so amazing. You were just digging in, and you just ate it up. Both of you were just stars in that piece. You annihilated it.”

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